Bryzgalov getting break from heavy workload

VOORHEES, N.J. — Putting on a genuine public face after practice Wednesday, Ilya Bryzgalov called his new in-house competition “a great young goalie,” and when asked how he felt about having his workload cut by more than half, he responded by saying “I don’t mind,” ... with a smile.

Yeah, no goaltending controversy with this Flyers team, if only because teams that miss the playoffs don’t qualify for such things.

“You should address that with the coach because I am not making the decisions on the roster,” Bryzgalov said. “I play lots of games this year. He wants to give me some rest, I don’t mind it.”

Peter Laviolette acknowledged several times during the season that he felt the need to give his team every chance he could to win games. Especially when they began the season by losing too many.

When it became clear just past the halfway mark of the shortened season that Bryzgalov was tiring, no backup plan was offered by Laviolette. Maybe he felt he didn’t have one.

From Feb. 18 through April 6, Bryzgalov started 22 games in a row. Backups Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher were given one start each, then general manager Paul Holmgren traded Leighton for young Steve Mason at the April 3 deadline.

It took a while for Laviolette to get used to using Mason, and for the most part that happened only after it became clear the Flyers were going to fall short of the playoffs. But Mason has played well enough to warrant five starts in the Flyers’ last eight games, essentially giving Bryzgalov more rest than he’d ever want to expect.

And giving it to him too late.“He is a young, great goalie and has got big potential in front of him; his whole career in front of him,” Bryzgalov said of Mason, who first relieved Bryzgalov in Winnipeg April 6, and in five starts since is 3-2 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .936 saves percentage.

It might have come too late, but Mason’s presence has given the Flyers a real boost.

“His confidence is getting bigger and bigger every game and that’s something we’ve been talking a lot about,” Simon Gagne said of Mason after his 5-2 win over the Bruins Tuesday night. “Even in the first practice you could see he was getting better and it’s tough to score against him in practice. Now those results start to happen on the ice in the real game.”

The well-rested Bryzgalov has taken notice.

“I think it’s a great for the team when you have two good goalies,” Bryzgalov said. “During the season I didn’t have much opportunity for rest during the long stretch. I was kind of exhausted. You have luxury of having a second goalie who can play great, too, it’s wonderful for the team.

“Healthy competition is always good.”

But in those days leading up to the trade deadline, it wasn’t so good that Bryzgalov frequently played tired. Strong early on, Bryzgalov’s performances eventually started to slip, and at one point during his 22-game run, from March 5 through March 28, the Flyers went 2-6-2.

They never really recovered in the playoff chase after that.

Would more rest for him have made a difference?

“It’s tough to say right now,” Bryzgalov said. “At some point during the year I was ... like an empty tank. It’s a luxury when you have two goalies. A good luxury. You never know what is going to happen. Some goalies get injured or have some bad stretches. If you have a second goalie who is good, it’s good for the team.”

Asked then if he thought the playoffs were a possibility had he not been used so much, Bryzgalov waved off the question, then said, “We got what we deserved. This is it.”

“Hockey is a team sport,” he added. “Is it right to blame someone, like blame the goalie, or the defense for losing the game or missing the playoffs? It’s wrong. We’re one team in the same boat. ... It’s a team. You can’t say we lose because of the goalie or defense or offense. It’s a team sport. You can’t blame someone. We all lose together, we all win together. Obviously, we can all do our job better.”

Overall, Bryzgalov is 18-17-3 with a 2.84 goals-against average and .898 saves percentage. The GAA is the second-worst of his career, the SP the worst of his career.

If he felt he’d hit a wall during the season, perhaps one thing Bryzgalov could have done better is communicated that to Laviolette. Asked if he tried to do so, he answered, “I don’t know what to say. I am just an employee here.”

There is speculation that he’s an employee without a great working relationship with the boss. Not being able to talk to Laviolette about his playing time might be indicative of that. Or not.

“There were two persons involved in conversations and I don’t think I have a right to speak up about (that), to make it clear,” Bryzgalov said. “(It’s) not because we have a bad relationship. ... It’s personal. I can’t bring it to the public with judgement.”

Then, when a follow up question came asking if he wanted to remain a Flyers employee next season, Bryzgalov looked at a female reporter with a smile, paused and said, “Good blouse.”

The guy does know fashion.“Yeah, of course,” Bryzgalov finally said about returning.

Perhaps now in search of a jumping off point, he bailed on any further talk about the other goalie, the head coach ... and certainly on his future with the team. He did so by issuing a to-the-point summary statement.

“I can play better,” Bryzgalov said. “I’m happy with my season but not happy with the result. How about that? I’m happy with my game but not happy with the result.”